Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
Is the free market working? Looks like. Wal-mart just dropped its prices on pharmaceuticals. According to a Marketwatch article (“Wal-mart…“) : Wal-mart will fill prescriptions for as many as 350 generic drugs costing $10 for a 90-day supply Over 1000 over-the-counter drugs are priced at $4 or less. Many of these include Wal-mart own private…
Consumers are starting to pay a larger share for high priced drugs. According to the N.Y. Times (“Co-payments“), insurance companies “…are charging patients a percentage of the cost of certain high-priced drugs, usually 20 to 33 percent, which can amount to thousands of dollars a month.” Medicare’s drug plans have introduced new fee schedules where…
Medicare is inefficient and expensive. Medicare has been expanded through Medicare Part D, which covers prescription drugs. Can expanding an inefficient, expensive system be a good thing? Gary Becker argues yes. Since drugs have high fixed research costs but low marginal costs, having the government pay for drugs can increase innovation. In fact, a working…
Doctors often complain that health insurers are squeezing their profit margins. These insurers offer the physicians access to patients as part of their network in exchange for discounted fees. Physicians can decide not to join the network and charge higher prices, but may be left with fewer patients. The bargaining power of the health insurer…
Economic theory says that for commodities, there should be one market price. For instance, there is one worldwide price for oil, metals also have a one worldwide price. While there is significant heterogeneity between different types of medical treatments, one would expect that the price of pharmaceuticals would be the same or very similar across…
There is a law which states that drug companies must sell drugs to Medicaid at their the lowest price. It turns out the Merck was selling drugs to hospitals at a steeper discount than what they were giving to Medicaid. Merck will pay $399 million for overcharging in Philadelphia and $250 million for overcharging in…
The enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in less developed countries is currently a topic of much public debate. Whether it is protecting the copyrights of Western recording artists or preventing `copycat’ technology goods, OECD countries are attempting to compel less developed countries (LDCs) to enforce IPR in their country. No area of IPR enforcement…
Merrill Goozner has a very interesting 4 part series on the pharmaceutical industry. Goozner talks of the inordinate amount of spending on pharmaceutical R&D yet notices a decrease in truly beneficial medicines. Pharmaceutical firms focus on trying to produce mass-market, blockbuster drugs for markets such as acid indigestion, headaches, and depression, but many of these…
Would drug importation from countries such as Canada be welfare improving for the U.S.? In the short run, the answer is yes. Lower prices will made pharmaceuticals more affordable and more pharmaceutical consumption closer to the static equilibrium level. In the long run, however, lower drug company profits may lead to less innovation in terms…
It’s decision time for Medicare Part D purchasers. Seniors have until December 31st to make their Part D choice and this decision is not a painless one. The Marketplace Money radio program recently reported (‘Deciphering Part D‘) that “the most popular policies have increased their prices substantially, especially Humana and United Healthcare, the ones that…